Women’s tennis signs first two for 2014-15

NORTH NEWTON, KAN. – Bethel College tennis coach Lonnie Isaac announced the signing of the first recruits of the 2014 class.

Steph Brown played at Newton High School and Breanne Rogers comes to Bethel from Parsons High School.

Brown is a four-time varsity letter winner for NHS and played primarily doubles for the Railers during her career. She will enter Bethel as a freshman in fall 2014 as an undecided major.

At Newton High School, Brown achieved a 4.0 GPA and was a member of the National Honor Society and the National Spanish Honor Society. She is in the top 10 percent academically of high school seniors in the state of Kansas.

She is also active in theater and in her church youth group.

“I am very excited to be on the Bethel women’s tennis team next year,” Brown said.

“Steph will be a wonderful addition to Bethel College and our women’s tennis program,” Isaac said. “Tennis at Newton is a strong high school program that I believe has helped prepare Steph for success at the college level.

“She will continue to grow and develop as a player, and I look forward to working with her beginning next year.”

Breanne Rogers is a four-time letter winner for Parsons and played primarily doubles during her high school career. She will enter Bethel as a freshman in fall 2014 and plans to major in nursing.

Rogers is a two-time state medalist, having qualified for the 4A State Tennis Championships in 2011, 2012 and 2013. In 2011, as a sophomore, Rogers was an SEK League doubles champion, 4A Regional doubles champion and placed fifth in 4A state doubles, compiling a 38-4 record.

Rogers saw another strong year in 2012. She was once again named to the SEK First Team and placed fourth at regionals qualifying for the 4A State Championships with a record of 22-16.

As a senior, this past year Rogers capped off her career with another state medal, finishing 11th at the 4A State Championships. She was named to the SEK First Team for the third year in a row and finished with a 33-12 record.

Overall, Rogers had a record of 103-38 during her high school career.

She also participated in cheerleading for four years, Spanish Club, Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), Sports Club, Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA), the National Honor Society and Student Council. She currently serves as vice president of Spanish Club and vice president of STAR Events for FCCLA (STAR stands for Students Taking Action with Recognition).

Rogers’ academic honors include Academic All-State as a sophomore, academic letter recipient as a junior, two years in the National Honor Society, 2nd-place medalist in medical terminology at the state HOSA competition and national HOSA qualifier.

“I think Bethel will be a great fit for me, with tennis and nursing,” Rogers said. “I can’t wait to begin my collegiate tennis career as a Thresher.”

“I am very excited to have Breanne joining our program here at Bethel College,” Isaac said. “Breanne has had a very impressive high school career and has the potential to do some great things at the college level.

“Parsons is another strong high school program in the state of Kansas that has consistently produced strong tennis players and I feel fortunate to have Breanne commit to Bethel. She has a strong ceiling, and I look forward to her continued development as a player and student-athlete at Bethel College.”

Bethel College is the only private, liberal arts college in Kansas listed in the 2013-14 Forbes.com analysis of top colleges and universities in the United States, and is the highest-ranked Kansas college in the Washington Monthly annual college guide for 2013-14. The four-year liberal arts college is affiliated with Mennonite Church USA.

In sports, Bethel competes in the 10-school Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference and the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics. For more information, see www.bethelks.edu and www.bethelthreshers.com.

Back to News Steph Brown, Newton High School, and Breanne Rogers, Parsons High School, will join the women's tennis team as freshmen in 2014. …